University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, September 29
Mendota Heights, Minn.
1:00 p.m. Central
vs
Franklin Pierce
Photo by: Wesley Dean
Women’s Hockey hosts Franklin Pierce in season opener
9/28/2023 10:15:00 AM | Women's Hockey
Tommies open the 2023-24 season at home with a Friday, Saturday weekend series
St. Paul, Minn. -- Women's Hockey begins its 26th season as a program and third season of Division I competition Friday with their home and season opener against Franklin Pierce.
The Tommies face-off against Franklin Pierce at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.
If you are unable to make it to St. Thomas Ice Arena on Friday or Saturday, be sure to follow along for live streams and stats through links found at tommiesports.com/sports/whockey/schedule – and on Twitter and Instagram at @TommieWHockey.
Schedule Talk
St. Thomas embarks on its 2023-24 season on Sep. 29th and 30th with non-conference games against Franklin Pierce.
The Tommies schedule is jammed pack with tough competition, both in nonconference and Western College Hockey Association (WCHA) play. In total, St. Thomas will play 35 games throughout the year, including 10 home games in the first five weekends of the season.
The Tommies open the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) schedule with a home series against perennial power Minnesota October 13-14. The Friday night game of that series will be played at Xcel Energy Center at 4:00 p.m. in a double header with the men's team playing after at 7:37 p.m. Saturday's contest will be played at St. Thomas Ice Arena at 4:00 p.m.
The Tommies will be road warriors during the back half of the season, playing 10 of their final 14 games away from the comforts of Mendota Heights, Minnesota. St. Thomas will open 2024 with three consecutive road games against the Badgers and Huskies before returning home to host St. Cloud State on January 20. The Tommies will also host Minnesota-Duluth (February 9-10) and the Mavericks (February 24) in the final month of the regular season.
Last Season
The Purple look to improve on last season's 8-27-1 record. Fifteen of those losses came against four WCHA opponents that advanced to the 11-team national tournament. The Tommies lost eight games by one-or two-goal margins.
All three of the Tommies WCHA victories came in games against Bemidji State by a score of 5-2 and 3-1 at home and 3-0 on the road. The Tommies upset No. 7 Minnesota Duluth when they defeated the Bulldogs in a shootout.
The Tommies return top point scorer, Maddy Clough, from the 2022-23 season. Clough leads the Tommies in career points by a defenseman and blocked shots.
The Purple also return graduate student, Allie Monrean. Monrean is one of two Division III-era hockey players still competing with the Tommies and brings a 103-college game resume, including 69 played in the DI-era.
In total, St. Thomas returns 17 of its players from the 2022-23 roster, joined by 12 newcomers and are helmed by Joel Johnson in his third season as head coach.
Scouting the Franklin Pierce Ravens
Franklin Pierce is led by Head Coach David Stockdale in his 12th season. Coach Stockdale was named the 2021-22 NEWHA Coach of the Year and has led the program to a 179-96-13 overall record. Franklin Pierce began to play in the NEWHA 2017-18, making its Division I debut in 2019-20 season.
The Ravens return two of their top point leaders from last season. Junior, Mikayla Kelley, and senior, Jenna Ruiz, both totaled 27 points and led the team with shots on goals for the Ravens.
Last October, the Tommies and Raven split 1-1 at St. Thomas Ice Arena. The Tommies took game won, earning their first D-I shutout victory. In game two of the series, the Tommies set their D-I era record for shots on goal with 57, but ultimately fell in OT to the Ravens.
Preseason Poll
Tommie Women's Hockey has been picked to finish tied for sixth in the eight-team WCHA preseason poll, voted on by league head coaches.
Defending national champion Wisconsin and defending league champion Ohio State are the picks among league head coaches to win the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's 2023-24 regular season title.
Coaches could not vote for their own team. First place votes are in parentheses.
1. Wisconsin (4) 46 points
1. Ohio State (4) 46
3. Minnesota 35
4. Minnesota Duluth 33
5. St. Cloud State 27
6. Minnesota State 17
6. St. Thomas 17
8. Bemidji State 7
The Tommies face-off against Franklin Pierce at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.
If you are unable to make it to St. Thomas Ice Arena on Friday or Saturday, be sure to follow along for live streams and stats through links found at tommiesports.com/sports/whockey/schedule – and on Twitter and Instagram at @TommieWHockey.
Schedule Talk
St. Thomas embarks on its 2023-24 season on Sep. 29th and 30th with non-conference games against Franklin Pierce.
The Tommies schedule is jammed pack with tough competition, both in nonconference and Western College Hockey Association (WCHA) play. In total, St. Thomas will play 35 games throughout the year, including 10 home games in the first five weekends of the season.
The Tommies open the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) schedule with a home series against perennial power Minnesota October 13-14. The Friday night game of that series will be played at Xcel Energy Center at 4:00 p.m. in a double header with the men's team playing after at 7:37 p.m. Saturday's contest will be played at St. Thomas Ice Arena at 4:00 p.m.
The Tommies will be road warriors during the back half of the season, playing 10 of their final 14 games away from the comforts of Mendota Heights, Minnesota. St. Thomas will open 2024 with three consecutive road games against the Badgers and Huskies before returning home to host St. Cloud State on January 20. The Tommies will also host Minnesota-Duluth (February 9-10) and the Mavericks (February 24) in the final month of the regular season.
Last Season
The Purple look to improve on last season's 8-27-1 record. Fifteen of those losses came against four WCHA opponents that advanced to the 11-team national tournament. The Tommies lost eight games by one-or two-goal margins.
All three of the Tommies WCHA victories came in games against Bemidji State by a score of 5-2 and 3-1 at home and 3-0 on the road. The Tommies upset No. 7 Minnesota Duluth when they defeated the Bulldogs in a shootout.
The Tommies return top point scorer, Maddy Clough, from the 2022-23 season. Clough leads the Tommies in career points by a defenseman and blocked shots.
The Purple also return graduate student, Allie Monrean. Monrean is one of two Division III-era hockey players still competing with the Tommies and brings a 103-college game resume, including 69 played in the DI-era.
In total, St. Thomas returns 17 of its players from the 2022-23 roster, joined by 12 newcomers and are helmed by Joel Johnson in his third season as head coach.
Scouting the Franklin Pierce Ravens
Franklin Pierce is led by Head Coach David Stockdale in his 12th season. Coach Stockdale was named the 2021-22 NEWHA Coach of the Year and has led the program to a 179-96-13 overall record. Franklin Pierce began to play in the NEWHA 2017-18, making its Division I debut in 2019-20 season.
The Ravens return two of their top point leaders from last season. Junior, Mikayla Kelley, and senior, Jenna Ruiz, both totaled 27 points and led the team with shots on goals for the Ravens.
Last October, the Tommies and Raven split 1-1 at St. Thomas Ice Arena. The Tommies took game won, earning their first D-I shutout victory. In game two of the series, the Tommies set their D-I era record for shots on goal with 57, but ultimately fell in OT to the Ravens.
Preseason Poll
Tommie Women's Hockey has been picked to finish tied for sixth in the eight-team WCHA preseason poll, voted on by league head coaches.
Defending national champion Wisconsin and defending league champion Ohio State are the picks among league head coaches to win the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's 2023-24 regular season title.
Coaches could not vote for their own team. First place votes are in parentheses.
1. Wisconsin (4) 46 points
1. Ohio State (4) 46
3. Minnesota 35
4. Minnesota Duluth 33
5. St. Cloud State 27
6. Minnesota State 17
6. St. Thomas 17
8. Bemidji State 7
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Hockey
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